15 WAYS TO PROMOTE ELEARNING PROGRAMS

15 WAYS TO PROMOTE ELEARNING PROGRAMS
BY: CATHERINE FRANZ
pre-note: in this article, teleclass is an
example used to
ILLUSTRATE ONE TYPE OF ELEARNING MARKET. THE
tips work the
same for other elearning programs, including,
BUT NOT
limited to, teleseminars and ecourses.

IN THE MID-1990S, THE TELECLASS FORMAT BEGAN AND
was named,
distance learning. during these early years,
LEARNING
institutions, particularly universities, were
chief users of
THIS FORMAT. MAINLY DUE TO THE LARGE EQUIPMENT
investment
needed at that time. now, due to technology
CHANGES AND
cost reduction, people can give and attend
eprograms without
LEAVING THEIR CHAIR OR SELLING THEIR FIRST
child. no
parking challenges, auto expenses, or travel
TIME REQUIRED.
another benefit to learning by phone is that
your listening
SKILLS WILL REACH NEW HEIGHTS QUICKLY.

in 2003, technology allowed a single conference
LINE TO
expand from 30 to 150 participants per line.
affordable
CONFERENCE LINES WERE PREVIOUSLY ONLY AVAILABLE
in certain
states, florida and nevada. now other states,
LIKE NEW
york, are jumping in on this bandwagon with
affordable
RATES.

currently, a 24/7 conference line, is available
TO RENT
around $600 a year. an alternative is to rent
the line by
THE HOUR. THIS CAN RANGE BETWEEN $10 TO $20 PER
hour
depending on the service features desired. you
CAN ALSO
share a line with one or two others to reduce
your cost. i
RECOMMEND FINDING LINE-SHARE PARTNERS WHO ARE IN
other time
zones, it makes sharing easier.

zero-cost teleconference lines at available at
http://www.mrconference.com and by other
VENDORS. MOST OF
these services have flaws that range from
automatic
DISCONNECT IF NO VOICE IS DETECTED EVERY 8 TO 10
minutes, to
being blocked from entering the call because of
OVERSTRESSED
lines. i recommend the leader dialing in 5 to 10
minutes
EARLY TO SECURE THE LINE, HOWEVER, THIS DOESN'T
mean that
all participants may not experience over
TRAFFICKED BUSY
signals.

ACTUALLY, TELEPROGRAMS WILL NOT TAKE THE PLACE
of "being
there" for all people. the skills and experience
OF THE
teleclass leader or host can also make or break
the learning
EXPERIENCE. THERE ARE JUST AS MANY TELECLASS
leader styles
as people. if you have never experienced a
TELECLASS, I
recommend attending four or five before deciding
if the
FORMAT IS OR ISN'T FOR YOU.

15 tips to help promote your elearning programs

1. if you produce your own enewsletter,
electronic
NEWSLETTER, OR EZINE, ELECTRONIC MAGAZINE, OR
printed
newsletter, add an elearning announcement
SECTION.

2. contact other newsletter editors and ask to
HAVE YOUR
program announced in their issue. you can swap
ad space,
YOUR AD FOR THEIR AD, EXCHANGE AD SPACE FOR
participation,
offer a commission option, purchase the ad, or
PAY PER
click-through. i don't recommend paying for
click-throughs
UNLESS EXCELLENT TRACKING SYSTEMS ARE IN PLACE.
in order to
attract, make sure their target market and yours
MATCH.

3. you can also use pay-per-click through search
ENGINES
like google's adword program. if you go this
route, i
SUGGEST YOU PURCHASE AN AD ANALYZER SOFTWARE
(about $100) or
a service (average $19.95/month) to maximize
TIME AND REDUCE
mistakes.

4. PLACE NOTICES ALL OVER YOUR WEB SITE --
especially your
main page -- about the program. remember:
POSTING
announcement notices is actually passive
marketing. you
WILL STILL NEED TO PULL VISITORS TO THE SITE.

5. write and distribute internet articles on the
SAME
subject. unable to write, hire a ghostwriter.
allow four
TO TWELVE WEEKS FOR THIS PROCESS TO BEGIN
pulling visitors
to your website. the number of articles
DISTRIBUTED WILL
proportionally be your return. my low end
measurement has
BEEN: 1 ARTICLE = 10 VISITORS OR MORE = 8 NEW
enewsletter
subscribers = 1 sale. high end: 1 article = 350
NEW
visitors = 125 new subscribers = 10 sales. this
is now one
OF THE TOP FIVE INTERNET PROMOTION BUILDING
attractions.

6. SINCE EPROGRAMS DON'T REQUIRE PEOPLE TO BE
physically
present, attendance is now open internationally.
THUS, YOU
will want to distribute information about your
elearning
OPPORTUNITY GLOBALLY. FIND PLACES IN OTHER
english-speaking
countries like the united kingdom, canada,
AUSTRALIA, AND
new zealand. if you speak a foreign language,
you can even
OFFER THE SAME PROGRAM IN THAT LANGUAGE. SPANISH
speaking
eprograms are in high demand.

7. mention your eprogram on other eprograms you
attend.
YOU CAN SLIP IT IN WITH A QUESTION OR WHEN
presenting your
personal information to the class.

8. add a promotional paragraph about the program
to all your
OUTGOING E-MAILS, CALLED SIGNATURES IN OUTLOOK.
choose html
design in your software and add a picture of the
LEADER/HOST
along with a link to where someone can register
or find out
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION.

9. join market-rich discussion lists,
BILLBOARDS, OR CHAT
rooms. if direct solicitation isn't permitted,
sell gently
THROUGH YOUR SIGNATURE OR INDIRECT QUESTIONS.

10. write a press release for each eprogram.
BECOME A
member of pr web http://www.prweb.com/.
membership is
FR*E*E. THIS NUMBER ONE WEBSITE ATTRACTS A VERY
high
percentage of media personnel.

11. accumulate a list of all the local
newspapers that offer
FR*E*E COMMUNITY EVENT ANNOUNCEMENTS. INQUIRE
into their
deadline and submission requirements. you will
ALSO WANT TO
ask how can may confirm r